T w e n t y S i d e d
During E3, Josh, Chris and I streamed some of the press conferences and gave live commentary on the trailers and announcements. This was possible because Twitch.tv gave people permission to re-broadcast their live feed of the show. Essentially, you were watching us watching Twitch watching the E3 audience watch the show. This was really interesting, and I think we’re going to do it again next year, hopefully without all the problems and glitches. Speaking of which…
For whatever reason they didn’t give rebroadcast permission for the Bethesda event. We could comment on it, and you could go to the event page on Twitch and watch it yourself, but we couldn’t broadcast both ourselves and the feed. This is a shame, since the Bethesda show was the one I cared about the most.
So what we have here is a really inconvenient mess. We recorded our commentary, and the press event is available on YouTube, but we can’t legally merge the two. Here is our commentary, if you just want to listen to it podcast-style:
Link (YouTube) |
Link (YouTube) |
Heads up: In the first video, there’s a good 14 minutes of us running our mouths and complaining about Twitch before the actual event begins.
If you want the commentary with the event visuals, then we have to get creative. This SHOULD let you watch them side-by-side. (Thanks to ps238principal for help with that!) If that link doesn’t work for some reason, then click on both of the links below. They should each open up a YouTube video in another window. I’ve set the timestamps so that if you click on them at about the same time, the video of the event should sync with our commentary of the same.
Our commentary, beginning at the start of the show.
The press conference itself.
Just watch the second video and listen to the first video in the background.
Then when our commentary ends, do that again for the second half:
This link should let you watch them together, or click on the two links below:
Our commentary, beginning roughly where we left off.
The press conference itself, picking up where we awkwardly cut off.
Yes, this is clumsy and inconvenient. Sorry. The other press events didn’t have this problem, so it will be easier to watch those. Later in the week I’ll post our coverage of EA, Ubisoft, and Playstation.
Mass Effect 3 Ending Deconstruction
Did you dislike the ending to the Mass Effect trilogy? Here's my list of where it failed logically, thematically, and tonally.
Hardware Review
So what happens when a SOFTWARE engineer tries to review hardware? This. This happens.
Trashing the Heap
What does it mean when a program crashes, and why does it happen?
Project Octant
A programming project where I set out to make a Minecraft-style world so I can experiment with Octree data.
Resident Evil 4
Who is this imbecile and why is he wandering around Europe unsupervised?
I may have a different solution for you, Shamus.
Behold the magic of YouTube Doubler, part 1!
(note that the Spoiler Warning half will stop before the E3 half does, so when that happens, viewers should go to the next link)
And E3 Spoiler Warning part II, E3 Harder!
In essence, we’re doing an E3 Spoiler Warning mashup!
That’s awesome!
But also broken!
Sigh. So close. This does exactly what we need it to do, but as far as I can tell the timestamp feature is 100% broken. I told it to begin the press conference at two minutes – “120 seconds”. When the page loaded, it began playing at 55 minutes!?!?
I see what it’s doing. It begins Bethesda at 2 minutes as it should, but then immediately jumps to 55 minutes. I think it’s looking at video #1, seeing it’s 75% over, and then forcing the second video to 75% to make them match.
So close to useful.
EDIT: Actually, neither video loads at the proper timestamp. We should begin at 820 seconds, and the Bethesda at 120. And both videos begin way, way off. They’re off so much that their starting point might as well be a random timestamp.
So…uh…why does the twitch stream repeat itself? It’s synched up during the initial Doom showing, but then when Battlecry starts it’s thing, it restarts your Doom dialogue again.
That’s odd. They’re coming up sync’d for me. Maybe it’s loading where you last left off on the videos? I could never figure out how to turn that feature on or off from YouTube.
Agreed, link works fine for me. The press conference and your conversation is synced.
Ah! You’re right. They work if I bring them up using an incognito window.
Where “synced” means “with the typical twitch delay on both streams” :p
I really glad you’ve uploading these. I was able to see the Bethesda one with your commentary live, but I missed the others.
I know that Arumba et. al. have commenters who use viewsync to show their multiplayer EU IV games. https://viewsync.net/
I’ll now go try to figure out how it works and if it’s suitable for majorly offset timestamps.
Part 1: http://viewsync.net/watch?v=uK8eZXQMXjM&t=820&v=ldQSioNU1jE&t=120&mode=solo (need that last bit because different audio tracks)
Part 2: http://viewsync.net/watch?v=wrySUUr0ZYE&t=60&v=ldQSioNU1jE&t=830&mode=solo
These… seem to work. (I hope)
Your problem is similar to an issue some open source projects have had, where code from different open source projects can’t be distributed together because they have incompatible licenses.
For example, ZFS is an advanced filesystem originating from OpenSolaris, which is no longer around. It’s CDDL licensed. Lots of people would like to use this with Linux, which is GPL licensed, but these licenses are incompatible. There are workarounds to distribute them separately but it’s annoying.
Another example is the Pine mail client. The source code is available, but the license isn’t quite open source as it doesn’t allow modified versions to be distributed. OpenBSD distributes a script (ports) and some patches. The script downloads the original, unmodified code, unpacks it, applies the patches, and builds it locally. That way they can both modify it and distribute it to their users without breaking the license.
Man, that sucks. ZFS has pretty much all the features that you want, for dealing with huge amounts of data. Or small amounts. Or files you want to keep for years. RAID, data integrity checks, handling/combining the filesystem-volume division. Everything. Dang licenses. :S
Shamus about Fallout 4: “I promise not to hate it before I install it.”
Well Shamus, get in line, I’m hating it already.
I have high hopes and low expectations. Like, piecemeal armor would be pretty cool, in a Morrowind-y kind of way. Also hoping the maps have a lot more vertical built into them, instead of just being (essentially) heightmaps. Like, overhangs, bridges that go over other pieces of the city, stuff like that. Lots of the maps in FO3 and NV were basically just variations of cliffs, craters, and flat plains. :S
Is it a problem that I saw that piecemeal armor and my first thought was “Damn, that’s going to be a pain to mod with”.
I think the biggest impediment to modding will be the fact that the main character is voiced. Trying to make a quest mod that blends seamlessly into the game will be quite a challenge unless new dialog can be pieced together from the existing files.
For all its flaws, and there were a great many, Fallout 3 was fun to play. Also, its assets and engine were then available to Obsidian to make New Vegas, so at the very least, it saved them some time, effort, and work on their arguably better game.
While there’s no guarantee Fallout 4 will give us another Obsidian Fallout game, I can at least see some complaints from F3 have been addressed at least visually. The game is colorful, almost comic-booky by way of Team Fortress 2. The building mechanics for home/base construction look like fun. Combat has jetpacks, which I think we all know is an improvement to any game, even if it’s a medieval fantasy text adventure.
The only thing we really have no clue about is the plot. If Bethesda stays true to form, you’ll dislike the main plot but find some enjoyment in the sidequests.
Being a big fan of Starsiege: Tribes, and Tribes 2; I’ve come to the realization that jetpacks only improve games in very specific use cases: You need space and speed, the jetpack in F4 reminds me of the original X-COM; hover and remain while shooting at opponents for entirely too long.
I was willing to overlook the blatant overruling of any player agency by giving their protagonist a lawfully wedded wife/husband, but the jetpack and vertibirds just completely ruined things for me.
Base building really doesn’t seem like it will be all that interesting: it’s the weakest point of Pillars of Eternity, and it seems like it’s gonna be worse in F4.
But you’re right, there’s always a chance Obsidian will make a much better game using the engine… But would they, considering the fiasco of last time (remember: they didn’t get paid for their work because of lackluster Metacritic scores)?
“and I think we're going to do it again next tear”
Aw come on, Shamus, the event wasn’t THAT sad.
Pretty sure I can cope with whatever bad ideas Fallout4 is going to throw in our faces, but I’d really really like the PipBoy to have actually useful and comprehensible maps, especially for buildings. That would be nice.
So out of all the bethesda fallout and elder scrolls games,the best one is,and will always be:Witcher 3.I dont think Ill be able to enjoy any bethesda game after that one.
Different experiences. The Bethesda Elder Scrolls model facilitates structureless exploration to a degree that Witcher 3 can’t match. The Witcher model facilitates storytelling in a way that Bethesda games sorely lack. Even after playing the exceptional Witcher 3, I still have the urge to play Skyrim.
Of course, this Fallout 4 seems to be eschewing that model somewhat, with a voiced protagonist and all. I’m skeptical they can pull it off.
Glad to see you’re not hating it anymore. Or at least you can mix some praise in for it as well
Its a good game.It even makes me little bit wanting to play the previous two(but not too much).But I can also see that it has a bunch of problems.Its still just the best version of skyrim Ive ever played,and not the second coming of jesus like everyone is praising it for.
I like how the embedded ‘play’ button makes it read:
OFFICIAL
E3 LIVE RAGE
Wow you guys were negative. Was a single good thing said about Fallout 4 throughout the entire stream?
Example:
“There are no paywall timers”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s not terrible.”
I just don’t get the universal hate towards everything Bethesda is doing with Fallout 4.
EDIT: Got to the build-your-base section. Shamus at least isn’t fuming in rage anymore.
It’s probably a holdover from lambasting Fallout 3. I recall when the New Vegas trailer came out, Shamus mocked it as evidence the game was going to be nothing but big dumb ‘splosions an’ shootin’ stuff.
I think this was so close after Operation Anchorage that he would’ve panned a re-release of Fallout 1.
Hey Josh called it the best game ever because you can order a dog around.Thats a big positive.
So, what do you think the chances are that Cogsworth is the villain of Fallout 4?
He definitely had a big “I’ve killed people” vibe
As a group you guys are so pessimistic. Haha. You guys were fun to listen to. Thanks for the video.
Also, Josh your birthday is November 13?
Also, also, Tomb Raider comes out the same day.
Doom did not impress me. It looked dull, repetitive and uninspired. It’s monochromatic as hell and why in fucks name would they go with ‘piss yellow’ for their color scheme? Did they never play Deus Ex?
The enemies blend into the background as a result and they were indistinguishable from each other even if they hadn’t been all the same sick color. They’re small as shit. Doomguy appears to be only a half a head shorter than the Hell Knight looking mooks (that are all meelee now?) and practically TOWERS over the imps. Ignoring that, in general, there’s no personality too ANY of them. They’re all just variations of ‘wirey monkey mook’.
I can see the death animations getting old reeeeeeel quick and the way techno-health/armor ends up popping outta these ghouls doesn’t work like I think they want it too. It just looks boring. Say what you will for D3, at least it had atmosphere.
Damn. Really would have liked your commentaries but as I am a dinosaur and prefer the written word over videos, I will have to pass.
It’s the same with all that video walkthroughs. It seems nobody understands anymore that I want to play and not watch people play…
That’s incidentally why I prefer your essays over your video work.
Ditto.
Man after the Shadow Warrior reboot and seeing what Shadow Warrior 2 looks like… DOOM looks really mediocre. Like, I’m sure it’ll be fine and all, but damn does it feel slow and plodding next to this Also brown. DOOM looks really brown and bland. I remember there being much more contrast in the past games.
Hrm. Gotta say I disagree. Wasn’t a fan of that SW2 gameplay trailer. The guns seem particularly uninspired (bog-standard SMGs, shotgun, and grenade launcher). HATE the little numbers that pop up when the player damages something. Ugh. That’s kinda okay (but not great) in something like Borderlands where you upgrade and tweak equipment, but in a straight FPS? Yuck.
Melee weapons looked kinda cool, but that gameplay really didn’t show off what makes the 4 or so weapons differ from each other, other than visuals.
Humor was flat, and it isn’t helped by the main character’s terrible accent. It fluctuates between mangled generic… Chinese, I guess, (I can’t even parse what specific Oriental language its trying to ape) and equally generic faux British. (again, I can’t even tell whether its going for English, Scottish, Irish…)
Movement speed is somewhat faster than Doom’s, but the demo (because given the lack of UI elements such as ammo counter this is obviously a mock-up for E3, same as Doom) takes place in areas that are a lot more open then Doom. Which is a stylistic choice. Doom seems to be going for a more enclosed, claustrophobic feel (like… every other Doom game), whereas SW2 seems to be placing emphasis on arenas. Of course in a bigger area you need to let the character move faster, but that doesn’t invalidate Doom’s approach. And besides, there’s not THAT much difference in their move speeds.
Yeah, really not feeling the love for Shadow Warrior 2 here. I need to get around to playing the first one, I’m starting to get apprehensive about it. I guess it was pretty, at least.
As for Doom’s color palette… the military base bits seem varied enough. Lots of reds and oranges, some greens and blues. The outdoor areas are a lot more brown, but its Hell. Its supposed to be oppressive. Granted, I really hope that they turn the yellow filter down or take it out. That alone would make a world of difference.
Also hope they get rid of enemies dropping supplies, I feel like it kinda clashes with the apocalyptic atmosphere if the enemies are walking pinatas.
As for old Doom having more contrast… it really didn’t. Sea of dirt brown and industrial grey, as far as the eye can see, with the occasional poison green pit and hell red sky box.
I’m not a big Doom fanboy or anything, I haven’t even finished Doom 1 yet. I just think that this new Doom is getting an unfair drubbings around here.
I wonder if it might be easier just to strip out the audio tracks of the Twenty Sided videos and post them as mp3s?
Thanks for the great content!
I still find the Male Only rumor on Fallout 4 to be kind of silly, mostly because I had hoped that Bethesda understood that Character Customization is one of the most important aspects of their game.
Also, way I see it, Skyrim and Fallout: New Vegas used generic male avatars in their trailers mostly for convenience’s sake. Maybe I’m remembering it wrong, but I mostly remember the trailers for those games using basic male characters.
So uh, Josh. What was that joke about Bethesda buying out Scrolls?
https://scrolls.com/2015/06/its-been-a-blast-automaton
Seems it might be a good time to come in and do so.
Okay, so I downloaded the youtube videos, stripped the audio, synced them up in audacity (I hope) and re-added them to the original video. The result I uploaded to my own little website: http://www.dumpert.nl/embed/6665371/b2eaff2a/ Let me know if you need the original file or anything.
I want fallout 4 now. I was very meh, right up to the house building. Free-form house building = Cool, I’ll reserve any issue till i play it. Economics & base defense = I’ll play it for 1,000 hours or so. I don’t even care if the story sucks (and I expect it will), my part time job will be in the game world, especially after a thousand players have modded things all to chaos and I’ve got the chance to run a town full of memes & cartoon characters. I’m sold.